


Times Up

by Humphreywrites



Category: The X-Files
Genre: AU on the run fic, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:20:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24588976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humphreywrites/pseuds/Humphreywrites
Summary: "I'm letting you go. You need to go.”COMPLETE
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 9
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

She spends the morning of her fortieth birthday under the florescent light of a gas station in some Podunk town off I-95 staring at her options. She doesn’t remember it being this hard before, and feels a wave of nausea wash over her.

He’s waiting outside in the truck they bought somewhere in Utah. The engine is running, and time is ticking.

She lied and said she needed tampons. He said they should stop for gas anyway.

Her prescription ran out, and she meant to get it filled, but they had to leave. Had to. He swore he’d seen someone following them, and it was all it took. They were ready in less than ten minutes, their meager belongings thrown into their suitcases. Another lie, another life left behind.

The man at the register hands her the bathroom key, and she walks as if she’s heading to the gallows.

In a way, she is. She knows herself well enough to keep it. She knows that she’d raise it, and love it, and hopes that she’d be better this time. She would have to be better.

She knows she would chose it over him. Life on the run is no place for a child.

As she waits, a million scenarios flash through her mind. She takes a long look at her reflection in the mirror: she’s wearing a white tank top, and cut off shorts, much too short for anything she’d consider as Dana Scully. For Heather Andrews, it fit.

Her hair is blonde and curly, hanging limply down her shoulders. She’s accumulated a few more winkles under her eyes, but the years have been kind to her. The dark eyeliner rimmed her eyes, and she felt the urge to rub them as tears slid down her face.

Time was up.

Two lines.

Fuck.

She knew before she flipped it over. The symptoms were exactly the same as last time. He’d be three now, four when this baby would be born.

Her makeup is a mess, so she washes it off. Barefaced, she leaves the restroom after throwing the test in the trash.

On her way out, she sees sunflower seeds on the counter. She hands the man at the register the key and pays for the seeds.

When he sees her, he’s smiling widely and she isn’t sure it’s because he sees the sunflower seeds in her hands.

As soon as she jumps into the truck, he grabs her and kisses her urgently. His tongue is down her throat, and her body is responding as she straddles him, forgetting that their in a gas station parking lot.

His hands go up her shirt, teasing and taunting her. Once he gets to her chest she pulls away, as if she’s been jolted. “Scully?”

Her name grounds her back into the present. Her nipples are hyper sensitive, and her hormones are all over the place. His breath is on her neck, and he’s looking at her full of lust and concern.

He can read her like a book. “Dana, talk to me.”

“I don’t know if I can right now,” she says, honestly, looking past him, and out the window.

“You said you were getting tampons, and came out with sunflower seeds, so something happened.”

“I took a test,” she sighs, knowing that he’d understand without her explicitly stating it. His eyes widen, and he’s rendered speechless. “You’re pregnant?”

He says it so gently it breaks her resolve. “It was positive.” She knows her body, and knows that it’s accurate. “I had the same symptoms before...” with William.

His name hangs between them like a noose. He doesn’t say anything as she shifts off him and settles into the passenger seat. “I don’t know what to think,” she confines finally. “It’s early and the chances of me miscarrying are high.”

“Do you want this baby?”

“Yes,” she nods, knowing the price she’s going to pay. He looks at her, and she can’t read him. His expression is one she’s never seen before, and his hands clench the steering wheel. He starts the engine, and as it roars to life, he stares intently out the window.

They drive in silence, and she notices he’s heading towards Maryland. Dangerous territory.

“Where are we going, Mulder?”

“You’re going home.” The tone of his voice was hard, and the implication clear. “It’s not safe for me, Scully but it’s fine for you. It’s been fine for you for a while.”

“Mulder, no.”

“This is your new start, Dana. Go be a mother, go be a doctor and get as far away from me as possible.” She knows he’s right but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.

“Pull over Mulder.”

He ignores her, and keeps driving.

“Mulder, pull the fucking car over. Right now.”

Once they’re safely in the breakdown lane. She looks at him, “I don’t want to do this without you.”

“Scully, I don’t think there’s any other options. It’s not safe to be around me.”

“Last time I sent you away because it wasn’t safe I gave up our son. So, I’d really rather do this with you.”

“It’s my turn to send you away now, Dana. This isn’t just you,” he says looking at her pointedly. “It’s about that baby your carrying.”

“Our baby,” she corrects him, close to tears. “Who needs both of us.”

“I can’t risk it. You deserve more than what I can give you. You deserve better than me. This life...”

“I got in the car with you. I chose this life.”

“Well, you’ve got more important things to worry about, and it isn’t me.”

“Mulder...”

She’s too tired to fight. She’s just so damn tired of running. “I’m leaving you when we get to your mothers house.”

“Mulder, no.”

“I will never stop loving you, but we can’t be together, Dana.” He cups her face in his hands, as tears stream down her face. “I’m letting you go. You need to go.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get to Annapolis and then...

She falls asleep, only to wake up to a tap on her shoulder. A whisper of Scully makes her eyes blink open.

They are here. Her mothers house. Annapolis, Maryland.

She still feels like Heather. If she closes her eyes, she can be. She can be the happy, fun loving woman in the too tight jean shorts, who playfully kisses her boyfriend on the lips and grabs his ass in the supermarket. The woman who worked at a bar in the middle of New Mexico, and came home every night to a trailer that was home. Their home.

For a moment, she can be her.

Once she gets out of the car she knows she’s back to being Dana. Dana Scully, girlfriend and baby mama of Fox Mulder, currently wanted dead or alive by the FBI.

“Hi,” he says, softly. Oblivious to the inner struggle she’s currently in the middle of. “We’re here.”

She doesn’t say anything and folds her arms across her chest. “I’m not leaving you.”

She feels juvenile-it’s like someone is trying to take her toy from her- but she doesn’t want to go.

He turns his eyes to the window, away from her and she can tell he’s choking back tears. “I can’t do this again without you.”

They’re so inextricably linked, that there’s no her without him. She wonders when her codependency started.

“Dana, please.” He’s looking at her and her heart breaks in a million pieces. “I won’t let you loose this baby, and this is the only way to protect the both of you.”

Her eyes flash in anger. “What makes you think I can do it on my own?” She spits, gritting her teeth. “I couldn’t protect William.”

He’s taken aback by her anger, and she feels herself loosing control of her carefully guarded emotions.

William.

He’s three now and wouldn’t know her if he toddled past her on the sidewalk. He would have no recollection of her. Of the woman who wanted so badly to be a mother. Who loved him since she knew about him. Who loved him so fiercely that she gave him up to protect him. To keep him safe. It’s much more dangerous now than it was in 2001.

His name lingers in the air, and she shifts against the door. Her body blocks the handle of the truck door. She brings her feet up, and curls them to her chin, facing him. “I won’t leave you,” she repeats, as if it’s become her mantra.

Years before it was, “I will find you.”  
“Scully,” he sighs, trying again and puts his face in his hands.

“Mulder.” Tears prick at her eyes. It’s too much, especially with her hormones all over the place. “Turn the car on and we can go back.”

“They found us,” he reminds her, sadly.

“They found Heather and Jack, but we can be someone else...”

“How many someone else’s can we be? When the baby is born it’s going to need stability, and a life that isn’t capable for...” me. The implication was clear. He was still wanted, and she wasn’t. She could go back to normalcy and he couldn’t.

“We figure it out then. We figure out how to make it work however we can,” she’s pleading with him, crying now.

He shakes his head. “Dana, no.”

He reaches out, and pulls her into his arms. She can smell the unique scent that is Fox Mulder, a combination of their shared body wash and his aftershave. It overwhelms her, and she sobs into his shirt.

No. No. No.

“Dana, you have to.”

Like a petulant child, she shakes her head. “Please, let me go.”

It hurts too much to breathe and his arms wrap around her and she hears him open the door. He gently picks her up as if she’s made of glass, and carries her onto her mothers porch. He rings the bell, and sets her down on the welcome mat.

He gives her one last kiss, and lets her go. He’s down the steps, just as her mother opens then door. It takes her a minute for her to realize it’s her. When the engine roars to life, she turns and watches him drive away.

“Dana, is that you?”


	3. Do You Know Where Fox Mulder is?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What started as a one shot needed to be completed... So, enjoy.

She barely left her mothers guest room since he dropped her on her porch shaking, crying and completely numb.

Her mother didn’t pry, and just led her upstairs holding her down like an anchor -afraid if she let go she would disappear.

She wished she could. She wished the stairs would swallow her whole. She wished it was a week ago, and they were lying in bed, laughing about some stupid article he’d read in the local New Mexico news. He’d lost interest after she started to kiss him senseless. She wished for a lot of things, because wishing was better than her reality.

“Dana?”

It was day three, and she could hear the concern in her mothers voice. She turned on the mattress to face her, and wants to cry at the look of pity on her face. She’s lost all sense of time, and her eyes are tired of crying. Her face is sticky from tears. She sits up, and rubs at her eyes, hoping she looks better than she feels, which is doubtful.

“Honey, you should try to eat something.”

She should. She really should, but her body keeps rejecting any type of sustenance. Another reminder that if she doesn’t, she will end up in the hospital attached to an IV. She knows this.

Her mother sits, cautiously on the edge of the bed, and reaches out to touch her face. Tears form in her eyes, as they drink in the fact that they’re together after so much time spent apart.

The harsh words goodbye are forgotten and forgiven.

“Mom, I’m pregnant.”

Her mothers hand recoils as if she were slapped, and goes to her mouth in shock.

It’s finally out, her secret, and it lingers between them like a lead balloon. Her eyes begin to well, and her vision blurs. “He left me. He let me go,” she blurts out, tired of seeing it in her brain. Reliving it over and over.

Her mother doesn’t know what to say, and frankly she doesn’t either. Her mother pulls her into her arms she cries.

She cries for Mulder.

She cries for her mother.

She cries for the baby.

She cries for William.

She cries for herself.

She cries until she has nothing left to cry about.

“Dana, sweetheart,” her mother says, softly threading her fingers through her hair. “You really should eat something... even if it’s just toast.”

“Yeah,” she agrees, and looks at herself. “I also need a shower.”

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

Twenty minutes later, she’s downstairs chewing thoughtfully on a piece of plain toast, in an oversized sweatshirt and leggings from a box labeled Dana Scully. Her mother hands her a mug of tea, and they sit in comfortable silence.

“Mom,” she finally says, and looks at her. “I have no idea what I’m going to do...”

Maggie Scully, ever the planner, knows exactly what she’s going to do. “You’ll call and make an appointment with an OBGYN, get yourself and that baby checked out and then we take it day by day.... do you have any idea how far along you are?”

“I didn’t get my pills refilled because we had to leave, so I’m thinking four or five weeks. Considering the last one was a miracle, I never thought it would happen again, and yet here I am.”

“Dana,” she sighs wearily.

“I know,” she says, “I should have known better.” She was a forty year old woman, and not a teenager. She did know better.

Her mother looks at her, tilts her head and says, “After the doctors, you really have to do something about your hair, honey.”

For the first time in days, she smiles.

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

As she predicted, she’s five weeks along, and when she hears the steady hum of a strong heartbeat, she vows to do better. To be better.

“Do you want a picture, Dana?” She still isn’t used to hearing her given name.

“Yes,” she says, in complete amazement wishing he was right here next to her. This should be done with him.

In some other life, he’s holding her hand and asking her when they should tell William that he was going to have a brother or sister. She’d tell him that it’s too early and that they need to wait until she’s past the twelve week mark. He’d agree and continue to spew ridiculous name suggestions at her just to annoy her.

She shakes the image out of her head, and takes the grainy picture from her doctor. “Thank you.”

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

Her mother is in the waiting room, and stands up, as soon as she sees her. “So...”

“Five weeks. I’m due March 3rd.”

A Pisces baby. He’d definitely tease her about that.

“Water signs are so emotional, Scully, and now I’m going to be stuck with two of them for the rest of my life,” he would joke and kiss her soundly on the mouth.  
What were they doing five weeks ago? Her eyes widen, it had been Father’s Day, and they spent the entire day in bed, both with the day off trying to forget about William. As if they ever could... the irony isn’t lost on her.

“So, Dana, what do you want to do with this?” Her mothers hairdresser, Karen, asks and runs her hands through her long bleached locks.

“Lets dye it back to my roots, and just a trim. I like the length.”

Karen nods, “Perfect. You’ll feel like you in no time.”

She doubts that but smiles softly anyway.

When she stares at her reflection, and runs her hands though her freshly blow dried hair. It’s back to normal, and feels so much healthier. Hello Dana Scully, she muses, and offers Karen a grin. “Thank you,” she says for the second time of the day.

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

On day five, she wakes up and goes through the boxes labeled Dana’s apartment, taking up space in her old childhood bedroom. Her mother kept some things from her old life, but her heart stops when she stumbles upon a box labeled William.

It was under a box full of her old clothes, mostly filled with Donna Karen suits reminiscent of her days as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully, as one half of the Mulder Scully partnership.

She’s tempted to open it and reflect. Her inner voice told her told her that maybe there was something in there she could use for the new baby. Something she could pass on.

She decides to open it, anyway. When she looks at the contents, a tiny stuffed Fox is laying on top, and she starts to cry.

Mulder had given that to him, claiming that he had walked by the toy stop before getting coffee and just had to buy it for him. It was the morning he’d left. It was the morning where she told him to go because of the threat on his life, the threat on Williams life.

She wonders if she had told him to stay, if the outcome would have been different. It could have been. She can’t begin to go down that road as her eyes water and she immediately shuts the box. She can confront those ghosts another day.

“Dana!” Her mother calls, “I’m going to run some errands.”

She gets up, needing air and finds her just as she opens the door. “Can I come?”

Her mother nods. “Of course.”

“Can we stop at the mall? I need some new clothes.”

She looks down at her cut off shorts- courtesy of a thrift shop somewhere in Oklahoma- and too tight tank top. This isn’t Dana. This was Heather.

Her mother nods in agreement. “I don’t see why not.”

She hadn’t been to the National Mall in years. It was a place she used to avoid years ago. There were too many people. It was too noisy and she didn’t spend her weekends full of something as frivolous as shopping. She was more likely on a case, or Mulder would drag her out to something under the pretense of something that was a case.

None of the old stores she used to shop in are relevant. There was no need for streamlined suits and blouses, she needed casual, comfortable and something that she could still wear as the baby grew. If she learned anything the first time, it was that comfort was key. Leggings, oversized shirts, and sweaters would be her best friends. It was more of a challenge to find things for now.

So, instead, she settled on maxi dresses- neutral colors and cotton- and a few pairs of leggings.

Her mother picked up the bill, and she promises to pay her back once her fianances are back in order. Technically, her accounts have been closed for years, it’s like she’s been dead. In a way, she has.

They eat lunch at the food court. She picks at a piece of pizza, while her mother gets a salad. It’s strange, being in such a crowd. There are so many people she has to remind herself constantly that no one is looking at her or for her. She isn’t wanted and there’s no need for her to continuously look over her shoulder. She’s safe.

They’re safe.  
:.:.:.:.:.:.:

After three weeks, she starts to show. It’s there. She saw it in the the shower, when she leans over to reach for the body wash. It took her by surprise. A small but perceptiable swell. Evidence of their baby making itself known. The thought makes her cry, and she does as the water sluices over her muting her sobs.

Reality of doing it alone hits her squarely in the face. Again.

“Dana! You’re going to use up all the hot water!”

“Sorry, mom,” she chokes out, and shuts off the shower.

She doesn’t bother blowing her hair, and lets it hang limply down her shoulders. She’s in a cotton dress free of makeup, and spends the morning re-tooling her resume. She needs a job.

Oh, and her medical license renewed, which lapsed two years ago, when they were somewhere in Washington State.

She thinks about reaching out to her old contacts in the field, but she doesn’t want pathology. She’s spent too much time with the dead, and desires to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Her first thought is pediatrics. A far cry from her medical school days where she wanted to be in the morgue more than the children’s ward.

So, she called the medical board and decided to start the process of applying for a pediatric residency. Since she was already board certified in Pathology she needed two years instead of three.

A nagging doubt began to creep in, the part of her brain that said she’d be insane to embark on a career change and single motherhood at the same time, but she knew herself, and she knew she was extremely capable.

Doubt be damned.

In the meantime, she picked up the classifieds and began to search for anything in the medical field. She needed something in the meantime, badly.

:.:.:.:.:..:.:.:

By the time she was four months along, she got a job teaching at Georgetown medical school as an adjunct professor. One of her old med school friends, happened to be there on the day she was interviewing and it all just fell into place.

She had the teaching experience, and a recommendation from Walter Skinner, Assistant Director at the FBI definitely helped.

Now, with an income secured, she was able to find an apartment.

She moved to DC, ironically near her old building. It was a two bedroom, on the fourth floor, with a up to date security system. That was the selling point.

Her mother said she didn’t have to move out, but it was time. She was so much better than she was five months ago when she stood on her doorstep.

She finally, finally, felt like she could breathe a little easier.

“Dana, you shouldn’t be carrying that,” her mother scolds, as she puts the last box on the counter. The movers are doing the heavier items, but it was just a box of papers. There was nothing heavy in it.

“It’s just old papers, mom. Nothing that will pull my back,” she clutches her stomach, rubbing the spot where the baby just kicked. “She does that enough.” Back pain was commonplace on the verge of her final trimester. She had terrible back aches with William, ones she wouldn’t wish on anyone.

“You sure your okay?”

It wasn’t the first time she’d done this, and gives her mother a hug, in response. “I’ll be fine, thank you. For... everything.”

She brushes a stray lock behind her ears. “I know you’ll be fine. I just worry about you.”

“I know, Mom. I know I’ve given you enough reason to in the past, but I’m really going to be okay.”

I’m me again, she wants to say. But her mother wouldn’t understand so she bites it back. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Dana.”

She gives her one last hug, and all too soon she’s completely alone in her new apartment.

Independence never felt so good.

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

She’d run to the grocery store after work, and was precariously balancing two paper bags. Her brief case was on her shoulder, which unfortunately held her keys. She was fumbling with her bags as she got out of the elevator and really just wanted to lie on the couch.

A man and a little boy was loitering by her apartment door, and her heart beat out of her chest, as she took in the tall and lanky frame of the stranger. It couldn’t be...

That was too much to hope for.

He turns to face her, and she drops her bags.

“Mulder...”

The little boy, turns and she’d recognize the hair anywhere. The long lashes, bright blue eyes and rose bud mouth almost brought her to her knees. The boy, clearly shy, hides behind Mulder.

“It’s okay, William,” he says softly, and looks at her. “This is your mom.”

The three year old, glances at her, curiously. “Oh my god,” she says, wanting to reach out. Wanting to touch him, hug him and never let him out of her sight ever again, but did none of those things. She just stared dumbfounded at the two of them. “But... how?” She finally asks when she can form a coherent thought.

“It’s kind of a long story, Scully. I can tell you once we’re inside,” he continues, looking around at the empty hallway.

Right. He’s still wanted.

“My keys are in my briefcase and...”

He goes to help her, and picks up the groceries, while William remains rooted at his side.

She fumbles for them, and finally opens the lock. She switches the light on before going inside, and they both follow her inside.

He picks up William and puts him on his hips... he looks so much like her, she can’t breathe. “Mulder...” she reaches out and touches him. “You’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” he assures her. “Really.”

“Do either of you need anything? I’ve got milk in the fridge and...” she’s suddenly on edge, and fiddles with her cross. She can’t believe it. “Does he drink out of glasses yet? I should probably know the answer to that question because at three...”

“Scully,” he reaches out, and touches her arm, grounding her. “Breathe.”

She takes a breathe, per his advice, and looks at the sleepy toddler in his arms. “Milk,” William says surprising the both of them.

“Do you want it warmed, William?” She asks, stifling the urge to touch him.

The toddler nods, and she makes herself busy, glad to have a task to focus on. It’s so automatic, as if she’s done this hundreds of times, that she doesn’t realize the intensity of which he’s watching her. The microwave beeps, and it’s done. She tests it, before handing it over to him. The toddler grips the mug, easily, and they’re both just lost in the normalcy of the moment.

After the milk, Williams eyes begin to drop. “You can put him in my bed,” she offers, taking the mug from him. “I think I have an old t-shirt of yours if you want to get him out of those clothes.”

He nods, and William, clings to his neck.

While he’s putting Will down, she takes off her jacket hangs it on the hook, and slides off her heels, which have been killing her all day. She begins to put her groceries away, when she catches his eye. “Hi,” he says, softly. His eyes widen, and go directly to her abdomen. “Wow.”

She instinctively goes to it, and looks at him. “She’s quite active, Mulder.”

“She?” He smiles at the pronoun. “A girl?”

“Yeah,” she grins. “A girl.”

“I’m due in March. The third.”

“A Pisces baby,” he grins and her eyes begin to water. “Did I say something?”

“No,” she shakes her head, wiping away the tears. “I actually envisioned you saying that when you found out so it’s all a little strange.”

He moves closer to her, closing the gap between them. He pulls her close, and when he wraps his arms around her, she leans against him, as much as her belly will allow, just enjoying the comfort of being in his arms.

He kisses the top of her head, and she pulls away, looking at him. She takes her thumb and rubs her it over his lips, and when he leans in to kiss her, it’s like she’s finally coming home.

They break for air, and he grins. “Miss me or something?” Like a limb, Mulder. “I would have done that as soon as I saw you, but Will was physically attached to my leg...”

“Speaking of, how is he sleeping in my bed right now... and how are you even here, now?”

He cups her face in his hand, and gives her one more kiss. “That’s a long story, Scully.”

“I’ve got time,” she says, and gestures to her couch. “I’ll listen but I need to sit because my feet a killing me.”

“We can’t have that,” he says, as he follows her over to the couch.

She looks at him, eagerly to continue, as she stretches out her legs. “After I left, I just drove North. I kept driving, and somehow made it over the boarder into Canada.”

“You used the passport,” she cuts in. The same ones they’d saved just in case.

“Yeah, and I just drove across Canada, with no designation in mind, just endless stretches of highway. You were on my mind, every single second, Scully. I kept wondering if I was doing the right thing, and I just... leaving you broke me.”

“I know the feeling,” she swallows. “I couldn’t eat, sleep, or do much of anything at first. It was painful.”

“I’m sorry,” he says, remorseful. “I thought that leaving you would be the safe choice. It turns out it was the easy one. I should have listened. I should never have just left you...” his voice cracks, and she takes his hand.

“I was so mad at first, Mulder. That after everything you could just... go. But after some time passed, it felt less like a betrayal and more like a gift, even though it hurt. I understood on some level because I went through that with William.” Her thoughts drift to the sleeping toddler on her bed. “Which you’ve yet to explain how you have him, and how he’s sleeping in my bed...”

“Oh,” he smiles. “That was easy. Spender told me where he was and since legally I never signed away my rights, I was able to take him. All it took was my ID.”

“They just let you take him back?” She can’t believe it.

“That declaration of paternity form you made me sign in the hospital, cinched it.”

She barley remembers what he’s talking about until he pulls it out of his jeans.

She does remember this one, it was commonplace with the other forms she’d filled out, including his birth certificate. “Thank god for your meticulous need for me to do paperwork, Scully,” he quips.

“So, he’s ours...”

“He was always was ours,” he reminds her. She as two years to make up for.

“But you’re still wanted, and nothing has changed... it’s still not safe for you. For all we know, my apartment can be bugged and they’re listening to this conversation right now.”

“They could be,” he says, tiredly. “But honestly, Dana, I’m done running. Fuck the conspiracy, fuck the aliens, and fuck the government. I’ve lost the last fifteen years of my life being lied to. Of being manipulated and used. I’m done. I lost everything in the pursuit of the truth that has continued to elude me, and you know what I’ve learned?”

She shakes her head. “It’s been in front of me the entire time. You were my truth, and I almost threw it all away, again. The toddler sleeping across the hall, and the little girl currently growing inside you is my truth.” She blinks back the tears that threaten to fall. She’s waited so long to hear this, and it’s almost too good to be true. “I was an idiot, Dana, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. To them.”

“You can’t just say that and expect everything to be fine. It still isn’t...”

“Your right, it isn’t, and I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but maybe we can go somewhere... all four of us, and just be normal.”

“You wouldn’t know normal, Mulder, if it hit you over the head,” she retorts, and he chuffs a laugh. “Good thing you can teach me.”

A tiny cry, interrupts them. “Go,” he urges. “Comfort him.”

William looks so small and confused sitting in the middle of her bed. She has to remind herself that this isn’t an Emily situation and somewhere, deep down, he knows her. He saved her a thousand times over.

“William,” she says, gently easing herself on the mattress, wanting nothing more than to pull him into her arms for comfort. “Did you have a bad dream?” He shakes her head, and looks at her with his blue eyes. “Do you think a song might help you go back to sleep?”

He nods, tentatively and goes closer to her. Bridging the space between them, he grabs at her face, and hold her cheek. Images begin to flicker through her mind: singing Jeremiah was a bull frog, the mobile she hand painted that hung above his crib, the stuff Fox...”

It stops abruptly and she pulls him into her arms. “You remember,” she cries, and kisses his cheeks. “You remember me.”

“Mommy,” he says in a small, voice. “You’re my mommy.”

“Yes, baby. I’m your mommy, and I am so so sorry,” she says, as he wraps his arms around her neck, and puts his face in her hair. “I promise I’ll never ever leave you again,” she vows, feeling the weight of his body against hers. “I love you so so much.”

The world righted itself. She had her son back and her Mulder.

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:..:.:.

She woke up to a warm breath on her neck, and it wasn’t Mulder. It was her three year old, curled against her sleeping soundly.

Yes, this was as close to perfection as she’d ever get.

Her eyes blink open, adjusting to the sunlight, and she carefully stretches.

Apparently, that slight movement was enough to stir her other bed fellow. His hands snake around her disappearing waist, and he nuzzles her hair making her giggle.

“Mulder...” She whispers, trying to admonish him, but not caring in the slightest. “Don’t wake the baby.”

“Which one?” He teases, as his hands go to her belly. “She’s still sleeping,” she says softly, covering his hand with hers. “The kicks and punches are during the middle of the night when I’m trying to sleep.”

Will omits a little snore, and she smiles at the sound. “He used to do that as a newborn and it freaked me out. I thought he couldn’t breathe, but he was just snoring...” Memories of him as an infant don’t feel so painful, considering he’s actually clutching onto her. She runs her fingers through his hair. It’s so soft, and the color of hers as a child. “Mulder, we need to get him things... he can’t just sleep in your shirts, and i don’t been know if he’s potty-trained which means he’ll need diapers, and sippy cups and...”

“Breathe, Scully. Your spiraling...”

“I have a tendency to do that,” she reminds him.

“Take him shopping today. I’m sure he’d love it. He spent the last two days in the car with me, so it’ll be nice for him, to get out.”

“What will you do?”

“Oh, I can find ways to occupy my time believe me.”

“If you want a project, I was going to start on the spare bedroom, clean it out of all the boxes, I left.” She can feel him nod. “Will can sleep there... which means he’s going to need a bed...”

An hour later, and Will was sitting at her kitchen table, while Mulder made eggs. It was the only real kid friendly food she had at the moment, and she made a mental note to pick up a few more things. “Mulder, I’m going to call my mother. I think this trip will require two people.”

He hums in agreement as she gives Will a kiss on the head. She headed for the phone with a pit in her stomach, obviously she couldn’t outright say it. Her phones could be tapped and she was harboring a criminal at the moment.

Her mother picks up on the second ring. She agrees to meet her at the Mall in an hour, and has no idea what kind of surprise she’s in for.

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

The mall isn’t too crowded for a Saturday morning, and Will clung to her like a monkey even though she knew he could walk, it just felt right holding him. He’s in his clothes from the day before, and she really needs to get him some new ones as soon as possible.

Her mother is at the food court, and when she makes eye contact from the table, her jaw drops.

“Dana...” her eyes are wet, and she can see the questions before she starts to dole them out. “What? How? Is this? William?” At that, Will looks at her, curiously and tucks his head under her chin shyly. “My god he is so handsome.”

“There’s a lot I have to explain,” she begins and her mother shoots her a look. “And I will... but not here, it’s too public...” Her mother nods, and looks at her. “In the meantime, he needs some things and I need some help.”

Chasing a toddler at almost six months pregnant wasn’t something she was prepared to do. “Where to first, sweetheart?”

“Clothes,” she says, as his fingers curl around her t-shirt. “Maybe a carriage? I’m going to need one for her anyway.”

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:

Four hours later, she’s given her credit cards a workout. Will is sound asleep on her mothers shoulder, and she’s got two bags full of clothes in her hands as they make their way to her apartment.

She carefully opens the door to Mulder sitting at her kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in his hands. Her mother gasps.

“Hi Maggie,” he greets getting up to help her with the bags.

“Fox?”

He takes them out of her hands, and puts them on the counter. “The one and only,” he quips, and looks at Will. “He’s out?”

She nods, and looks at her mom. “He’ll nap in my bed,” she says, softly. “And then I owe you an explanation.”

After the initial shock, wears off Maggie listens as they explain what happened, how they got Will back, and that they’re in a bit of a situation still, with him still being a wanted man for a crime he didn’t commit.

“You need roots,” she finally comments, and looks at them, as an idea starts to form in her mind. “You know, I have this friend from my church group who has a house she’s trying desperately to get rid of. It’s in Farrs Corner, which is pretty remote.”

Remote. Safe. “Is there anyway we can look at it?”

“I’ll make the phone call.”

:.:.:.:..:.:.:.:.:.:

A month later, at almost seven months pregnant, the house her mother suggested they look at officially belongs to her. Legally, at least. They ended up falling in love with it. It definitely needed work, and was wholly unremarkable. It had four bedrooms, two and a half baths, and creaky metal gate that they would have to manually open every time they came and went from the property.

There was enough land for Will to run around on, and it came complete with a barn, full of a lot of junk, that she had no doubt would keep him occupied and out of trouble.

The screen porch was her personal favorite and she could just picture the early mornings where they’d have their coffee and just enjoy the moment.

“Scully!” A familiar voice calls, ripping her from her daydream. She follows it into the living room, that recently was unpacked to find Will covered in mud from head to toe. “Your son decided that playing in the mud puddles would be a good idea.”

“So, because he’s a mess, he’s my son now?” She shakes her head, and grins.

“Sorry, mommy,” Will says, earnestly.

“It’s fine, Will. A little dirt doesn’t hurt anyone, baby, but come on, let’s get you in the bath.”

“Mulder, can you bring up some towels?”

:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:..:

When Will is seven, and Clare is three their unremarkable life is flipped upside down by a phone call.

“Agent Scully, it’s Assistant Director Walter Skinner. Do you know where Fox Mulder is?”


End file.
